I "Old manized" my Tall Boy carbon

I've been riding 27.5" bikes for 2 years now. 275 has come out with some great long travel Trail and AM bikes and some svelte racing hardtails, but has been slow to address the 4" XC FS market.

For that reason, I decided to go with a TBc for my latest bike. Don't need or want the LT, just a lightish XC FS for fast and aggressive XC riding.

One reason I held out for so long before getting a 29'er was the question of gearing. The whole "pedal harder" and "suck it up" movement has zero resonance for aging boomers. Like Im suddenly going to gain a bunch of new strength and be able to pedal 29" hoops with gearing developed years ago for 26" wheels? Yeah, right.

Shimano's new 610 crank with a triple option w/ 40-30-22 rings won't be out till 2014. Until then, riders wanting lower gearing have to mix and match and jury rig. When I got the TB, first thing did was swap the 42T for a bash, and ride bash-32-24 with 11-36 ten speed cassette. I have zero need for a 42T ring on a 29'er. Never spun out 32:11. High gears not an issue with wagon wheels. I was fairly happy with the low gears, but still had a hankering for something lower like the 610 groupo.

There is a decent supply of after market 30t rings out there; direct mount spline rings in many sizes are made by e13, north shore billet, and Wolf Tooth. If you want 104bcd, only game in town is Andersen machining. http://andersenmachine.wordpress.com/

Wolf Tooth "will be" offering them later this summer, but they are 1X specific and lack two features of Andersen rings: shift ramps, and threaded holes in the ring. Since I am running 2x, I wanted ramps and ordered the Andersen. Installed it today along with a 22T granny I had lying around. Bash-30-22 shifts fine on the stand, but I won't have a chance to take it out for a real test ride for a few days. Do wonder if 30:11 will be a high enough high; but no doubt 30:36 will be a spinny low.

Two other modifications: replace 70 mm stem with 90; cut 700 mm bar to 610. Don't need AM cockpit on XC bike. Plus I ride tight NE singletrack and 700mm bar would leave me with bruised pinkies or worse, would get caught up on tree and spin my wheel 90 deg. to the trail.

Old enough to know better. And old enough not to care. Best age to be.

I've got the same setup. Bike and gearing with the Anderson 30t. I never move it from the 30t. But as a bail out I put an action tec 39t cog in the rear I have seen some rear cogs as big as 41t on eBay in case you want to run the 30t only. I Usually never use the 39t rear. I think you'll go fast enough on the trail but if you plan to race the 30t chainring will not cut it. You're really going to like the 30t for everyday use though

Good post on "old manizing" any 29er. I kind of mongrelized my drivetrain; ordered the bike with XT triple, ditched the big ring for a bash guard, kept the 32 but threw on an old 9-sp 22t. It works but shifting is a little dodgy, so I'll probably get a 10-sp compatible 22 to put on next time I change out the chain. I went up a frame size and put on a shorter stem, got the fit I want. Only issue left is the lower link/rear triangle connection isn't very well-protected by the bash guard. The 22-36 combo works really well for any hill I am capable of climbing, and the rest of the time the 32-10sp cassette combo works for the trails here in the PNW. Next: my old wrists need more protection; has anyone put a 140 fork up front, and how did that work out?

I "Old manized" my Tall Boy carbon

Originally Posted by Axe

So you did not like the Solo?

Had I known about the Solo, I would have gone for it. When ordered the TB, SC had announced the Bronson, but I don't need that kind if travel, and am not interested in a tank. The SC dealer either didn't know about the Solo, or chose not to tell me. Needed a 29'er for the quiver anyway

Old enough to know better. And old enough not to care. Best age to be.

I "Old manized" my Tall Boy carbon

Note that the race face rings are for 1X, as are the Wolf Tooth 30T in 104 bcd. Andersen makes the only ramped 30T ring in 104 bcd for more than 1X.

Another thing to keep in mind with 30T in 104 bcd is that you need to file or grind the ends of your spider so that the chain doesn't hit them. 30T is the absolute smallest ring that can be squeezed onto 104bcd.

If/when I go to 1X, it will be with spline direct mount rings on SRAM X9 cranks. No chain issues; no chainring nuts/bolts. Rings with less teeth than 30 even available. Also, Wolf Tooth rings will have the same tooth pattern as SRAM XX1, so that if you also run a clutch rear der., no need for heavy expensive chain guide.

Old enough to know better. And old enough not to care. Best age to be.

Note that the race face rings are for 1X, as are the Wolf Tooth 30T in 104 bcd. Andersen makes the only ramped 30T ring in 104 bcd for more than 1X.

Another thing to keep in mind with 30T in 104 bcd is that you need to file or grind the ends of your spider so that the chain doesn't hit them. 30T is the absolute smallest ring that can be squeezed onto 104bcd.

If/when I go to 1X, it will be with spline direct mount rings on SRAM X9 cranks. No chain issues; no chainring nuts/bolts. Rings with less teeth than 30 even available. Also, Wolf Tooth rings will have the same tooth pattern as SRAM XX1, so that if you also run a clutch rear der., no need for heavy expensive chain guide.

Good point about the 1X stuff.

However, the RaceFace rings are supposed to be spaced inwards - so no filing/modifying the crank arm will be necessary. Also the mounting hardware will consist of bolts only - no nuts on the backside. They will have shims available depending on brand of crank. Not a RF shill, just though it was a keen solution, for the longest time I could only find the Wolf Tooth stuff...

Good post on "old manizing" any 29er. I kind of mongrelized my drivetrain; ordered the bike with XT triple, ditched the big ring for a bash guard, kept the 32 but threw on an old 9-sp 22t. It works but shifting is a little dodgy, so I'll probably get a 10-sp compatible 22 to put on next time I change out the chain. I went up a frame size and put on a shorter stem, got the fit I want. Only issue left is the lower link/rear triangle connection isn't very well-protected by the bash guard. The 22-36 combo works really well for any hill I am capable of climbing, and the rest of the time the 32-10sp cassette combo works for the trails here in the PNW. Next: my old wrists need more protection; has anyone put a 140 fork up front, and how did that work out?

I "Old manized" my Tall Boy carbon

If you're old enough, you should remember when bikes had a 28x28 low (26"), harder even than today's middle ring in a 29er (32x36@29" = 25.8")

So suck it up and pedal harder

When 28x28 was the low, I was young and strong enough to suck it up. Luckily more parts are available now that I'm old and feeble. Next year, most 29'ers will come stock with Shimano 610. Mark my words.

P.S. you know you're getting old when you decide it's time to hit from the gold tees and nobody gives you any crap about it.

Old enough to know better. And old enough not to care. Best age to be.

Re: I "Old manized" my Tall Boy carbon

I figure golf can wait until I'm tfitz's age.

I went with a TBc this year as well. I don't know that I'd have gone with a solo over the tb, but had it been out I'd have certainly given it serious thought (Ripley too for that matter). I went 2x, but did it by using a 3x xt crank and replacing the middle with a 36. So 24/36 x 11/36. I'm happy with it so far. It could be a little lower. I rented a tb with a 26/38 double and realized quickly that it wasn't low enough for me.

I think age, power output and terrain all matter: where I live and ride, there are many, many climbs that are well over 10% and 30-60 min long. If I lived or rode where climbs were 5-10 (or even 20) min long, I might choose different gearing.

I went though the same thing when building up my new (and first) 29r. First thing I did was to track what gears I used... I had a 26r with 22/32/44 and a 12-34. After keeping track of what I used routinely, I made a gear chart for the 26r and also for the 29r with different combos. I was shocked to see what XX1 w/ smallest chainring gave me:

So, while I gave up my lowest gear, I was dropping around 5lbs on the bike and I'm down 5+lbs myself... I realized I was using the "2nd" 19.1" gear a lot. And: I live at the top of a 3.5mi, 9-10% grade road... I like to be able to spin 90rpms up the road and keep hr in my "Zone 2"/all day riding pace. I can always choose a bigger gear.

Verdict? I love it! And I'm glad I put the smallest ring avail (for XX1) on there and kept the low gearing. You can also see I gave up one top end gear - but spinning the current top gear puts me at we'll over 20 mph

Though I read a lot about the lack of a matching drive-train for 29'rs, I never found it a problem.
Riding 36/22 and 9 speed cassette for about 4 years now.
Went for this gearing with the Tallboy and the Air9.
No need for a triple, so I dremeled the teeth from 44 tooth chain ring of an worn XTR 970 crank to form a bash and added a 36 tooth TA ring on the middle position.

Though I read a lot about the lack of a matching drive-train for 29'rs, I never found it a problem.
Riding 36/22 and 9 speed cassette for about 4 years now.
Went for this gearing with the Tallboy and the Air9.
No need for a triple, so I dremeled the teeth from 44 tooth chain ring of an worn XTR 970 crank to form a bash and added a 36 tooth TA ring on the middle position.

I have the same crank (36/22) sitting aside to put on when I get tired of my now SS 29r setup. Either that or it will go straight onto a TB frame if I can gather funds to grab one to build up. I think it will be the perfect 2x gearing match for the big wheels and what I ride with them.

One reason I held out for so long before getting a 29'er was the question of gearing. The whole "pedal harder" and "suck it up" movement has zero resonance for aging boomers. Like Im suddenly going to gain a bunch of new strength and be able to pedal 29" hoops with gearing developed years ago for 26" wheels? Yeah, right.

Shimano's new 610 crank with a triple option w/ 40-30-22 rings won't be out till 2014. Until then, riders wanting lower gearing have to mix and match and jury rig. When I got the TB, first thing did was swap the 42T for a bash, and ride bash-32-24 with 11-36 ten speed cassette. I have zero need for a 42T ring on a 29'er. Never spun out 32:11. High gears not an issue with wagon wheels. I was fairly happy with the low gears, but still had a hankering for something lower like the 610 groupo.

Wolf Tooth "will be" offering them later this summer, but they are 1X specific and lack two features of Andersen rings: shift ramps, and threaded holes in the ring. Since I am running 2x, I wanted ramps and ordered the Andersen. Installed it today along with a 22T granny I had lying around. Bash-30-22 shifts fine on the stand, but I won't have a chance to take it out for a real test ride for a few days. Do wonder if 30:11 will be a high enough high; but no doubt 30:36 will be a spinny low.

Two other modifications: replace 70 mm stem with 90; cut 700 mm bar to 610. Don't need AM cockpit on XC bike. Plus I ride tight NE singletrack and 700mm bar would leave me with bruised pinkies or worse, would get caught up on tree and spin my wheel 90 deg. to the trail.

Sounds like a good selection. Kudos to you on bar width!!!

There are some fairly "heated" threads about gearing on 29"ers that took place years ago on this forum. Most who live in very steep and areas with long, sustained climbing terrain - as well as those of us who are of an age where heart rate is a concern and we visit the heart doctor on an annual basis - tend to always support the gearing choice that pleases the rider's needs while others bash what other's choose. Ignore those and congratulate yourself and selecting what will work for you.

I was wondering why you didn't opt also for the 40T to couple with Anderson's 30T for a nice triple gearing which would cover all your bases? The 40T is "small enough" that going over logs is pretty easy without getting hung up. And it is durable enough to really take some abuse down there if you don't "get it up".

I've run his 40T/30T combo with a granny ring (used the 23T Rotor Q ring granny) on my RIP for years with an 11-34 in the rear (switched this year to a 1 x 9 set up for experimental reasons away from the mountains). I found I used the 40T a lot as I could spin out the 30T on descents, flats and in XC race situations. The 22/23T granny and a granny cog in the rear lets you climb super steep stuff and recover - or keep the heart rate in check - and I can think of plenty of places where having that is worthwhile on a 29"er. Young or old.

After you try out your gearing, I would at least suggest keeping the option open of the excellent 40T ring that Russ makes if you find the 30/11 combo is not everything you need. It would give you two more gears with the 11 and 13T cogs if you spin out with the 30/11.

i'm 42years young and i dont see the day that i wll extend my stem and cut my bars shorter than 720mm....now gearing wise, i understand you

I am the same age, and since the advent of wide handlebars I am able to breathe when riding.

Gearing wise, I do not think it is an age issue. Plenty of 60+ riders around killing it on singlespeeds. And there is a metric crapton of climbing. More of individual knees. In my case, I am OK on SS under couple hours, OK on 1x10 under four hours, then please bring me my granny, or my knees will not like it in the morning.

ACree, get off my lawn! (and, glad you like your TB). Cytoe, I built the bike with one of your guards and it worked fine til I broke it (bent it too far trying to scrape grunge off the lower link). I will re-order.

ACree, get off my lawn! (and, glad you like your TB). Cytoe, I built the bike with one of your guards and it worked fine til I broke it (bent it too far trying to scrape grunge off the lower link). I will re-order.

The standard plate can break if bent too far. The ultra-duty plate will not break....

I turn 50 this November. My TBLTa came with a 42/32/24 3x10 setup. I ditched the 42t for a bash ring and rode that gearing for a while. Around 4-5 months ago I bought a new XT crankset with 38/26 gearing. I hated it at first but after a few months of riding I'm finally used to it. I noticed I do a lot more standing/pedaling on some of the stretched out trail sections. Reminds me of my SS days. I do have to be careful though and not try to "middle-ring" everything. Especially since my middle ring is now my BIG ring! :-O

ACree, get off my lawn! (and, glad you like your TB). Cytoe, I built the bike with one of your guards and it worked fine til I broke it (bent it too far trying to scrape grunge off the lower link). I will re-order.

I got the 20T off Ebay and had to file my XT crank a little bit to get proper chain clearance.

In 9 speed, there are no lightweight cassettes available with a 36T low. You can buy a 36T cog and modify a 11-34 cassette, which I have tried, but didn't like the shifting, and it was much heaver than my current set up.

Exactly. Cough up a lung on the opening long steep climb - or be carrying gear and the want of a super granny is like none other. I had that in the Alps when I lived in Austria. 20T granny with a 34T cog in the rear was barely enough on my 26"er. Ditto out riding in Briones Park on the climb out of Lafayette in the San Francisco East Bay area.

20T, 21T, 22T, 23T - they are all available to help out those who carry gear, don't have the lungs of a teenager to twenty something any more, or live and ride near mountains.

That being said, my RIP 9 bail out gear is now a 34T ring and 34T granny on my 1 x 9. But there are no mountains in the Midwest... Back goes the triple with a 23, 22, or 20T if I head to the mountains.

Do you have to stick with Shimao crank? Sram X9 and XO cranks have many more options, including running aftermarket single rings in any size you can possibly want, all the way down to 26T. Also odd and even number of teeth if you are very particular about your ratios.

In 9 speed, there are no lightweight cassettes available with a 36T low. You can buy a 36T cog and modify a 11-34 cassette, which I have tried, but didn't like the shifting, and it was much heaver than my current set up.

i use the 20/39. Usually during a long steep climb, to be able to recover a bit before needing a burst of power to clear some technical part (where a little speed is your friend)

Originally Posted by BruceBrown

Exactly. Cough up a lung on the opening long steep climb - or be carrying gear and the want of a super granny is like none other. I had that in the Alps when I lived in Austria. 20T granny with a 34T cog in the rear was barely enough on my 26"er. Ditto out riding in Briones Park on the climb out of Lafayette in the San Francisco East Bay area.

20T, 21T, 22T, 23T - they are all available to help out those who carry gear, don't have the lungs of a teenager to twenty something any more, or live and ride near mountains.

That being said, my RIP 9 bail out gear is now a 34T ring and 34T granny on my 1 x 9. But there are no mountains in the Midwest... Back goes the triple with a 23, 22, or 20T if I head to the mountains.

I love the "5in is the new 4in" comment. Where does it end. Always striving for bigger and better. I'm guilty of it myself and try to plan for what I "might" do with my bike and want to be prepared. Unfortunately my bike didn't come with a bubble wrap option and I still managed to hurt myself.

As I get older I tend to think I want more comfort and less aggression on the trails. The occasional small jump/drop and semi-fast flowy downhill are all it takes to get my blood pumping.

I "Old manized" my Tall Boy carbon

If you're old enough, you should remember when bikes had a 28x28 low (26"), harder even than today's middle ring in a 29er (32x36@29" = 25.8")

So suck it up and pedal harder

I'm definitely that old and now wise enough to know that I don't need to get all macho and beat the crap out of myself to have a good time. I ride within my limits.

I'm also old enough to remember 210cm straight skis. What would I prove trying to struggle obsolete equipment on a ski hill? Other than being a crank? No doubt I could still turn them, but also little doubt they would suck and I would totally waste my lift ticket.

"Back in the day, pedal harder, suck it up" thinking is a joke IMO.

Old enough to know better. And old enough not to care. Best age to be.